Out of the fold, in with the who? All the changes on breakfast TV for 2025
They say when it rains it pours, and the Australian breakfast TV landscape has experienced a veritable deluge this year.
On Monday morning, ABC presenter Michael Rowland announced he would depart News Breakfast after nearly 15 years as co-host, making him the latest in a long line of high-profile departures across the breakfast TV space in 2024.
The breakfast battle. Who will you be watching first thing in 2025?Credit: Stephen Kirprillis
During his farewell speech, Rowland noted that his children were aged seven and five when he started on breakfast TV, and are now in their 20s. In that time, morning shows – and free-to-air TV more widely – have had ratings dip with the rise of streaming and increasing competition from social media platforms and non-legacy platforms such as YouTube.
Yet the breakfast slot remains crucial to a network’s overall performance, as the launchpad to lure advertisers, cross-promote the vital prime-time schedule and capture bragging rights. And that makes this year’s upheaval especially interesting.
Breakfast TV lives and dies on familiarity, and with networks batting it out over an increasingly diminishing return, what you’re serving up is arguably less important than who is doing the serving.
So, off the back of an unsteady 2024, here’s who you’ll be watching on breakfast TV in 2025. Assuming you’re watching at all.
ABC, News Breakfast
In: Bridget Brennan, James Glenday (TBC)
Out: Tony Armstrong, Michael Rowland, Lisa Millar
It’s been a tumultuous year for Aunty, with the national broadcaster juggling exits on all fronts.
The past few months have been dominated by radio talent exiting the building, such as presenters Richard Glover, Sarah Macdonald and Simon Marnie leaving the broadcaster in Sydney and Sammy J departing in Melbourne. On Tuesday morning, Robbie Buck became the latest presenter to confirm his departure, after 28 years.
The News Breakfast couch experienced its first shake-up when journalist Bridget Brennan replaced co-host Lisa Millar in August. A month later, ABC golden boy Tony Armstrong followed Millar. In an interview with this masthead, he predicted Rowland might not last long either. “Michael is not at the start of the breakfast career, and it can be very brutal. Also, these things happen quite cyclically,” he said in September.
Gone, going, gone: Tony Armstrong (left), Michael Rowland and Lisa Millar will have all departed News Breakfast in 2024.Credit: Marija Ercegovac
Turns out bad news comes in threes, with Rowland the third member of News Breakfast to depart in 2024. While the ABC has yet to confirm his replacement, ABC sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they are not allowed to comment publicly said James Glenday would take over from Rowland early next year. It’s believed news presenter Emma Rebellarto, sport presenter Charles Brice and weather presenter Nate Byrne will also return.
In a statement to staff, ABC News boss Justin Stevens said: “The new permanent co-presenter to join Bridget Brennan will be announced shortly, and the program’s full new line-up will be on air together from January.”
Seven, Sunrise
In: David Woiwod (Weekend Sunrise, TBC)
Out: Matt Doran (Weekend Sunrise)
It’s been relatively smooth sailing for Seven since June 2023, when the network announced Matt Shirvington would permanently replace David Koch as Sunrise co-host.
Off the back of that change, Sunrise has maintained its line-up, and a Seven spokesperson confirmed the entire weekday team, comprising Natalie Barr, Edwina Bartholomew, Mark Beretta, Sam Mac and Katie Brown, would return in 2025.
The most significant change at Seven will be on Weekend Sunrise, with co-host Matt Doran to depart the show this Sunday. Doran has been hosting alongside Monique Wright since 2019 but is leaving to “focus on his family and other opportunities”.
A decision on Doran’s replacement is expected to be made next week, with US correspondent David Woiwod favoured to take over.
Woiwod has been at Seven since 2016, following stints at Ten, Associated Press and Sky News UK, and is expected to be trialled over the summer.
Nine, Today
In: Jayne Azzopardi, Sophie Walsh (Weekend Today)
Out: Brooke Boney, Renee Bargh
Nine has experienced its fair share of headlines this year off the back of an independent review of its workplace practices and culture, but there has been relative calm on the set of its breakfast show.
Brooke Boney announced her departure in May and finished in August, with Weekend Today host Jayne Azzopardi replacing her on the weekday show. Meanwhile, newsreader Sophie Walsh was tapped to take over Azzopardi’s spot on Weekend Today (alongside Clint Stanaway).
9News reporter Jayne Azzopardi replaced Brooke Boney on Today.Credit: ninevms
The only other change will be entertainment reporter Renee Bargh, who shares the round with Richard Wilkins, going on maternity leave shortly. Wilkins will cover entertainment in Bargh’s absence.
A Nine spokesperson confirmed there were “no plans to change current line-ups with Sarah Abo, Karl Stefanovic and the team back on-air from January 13”.
Nine is the owner of this masthead.
Find more of the author’s work here. Email him at thomas.mitchell@smh.com.au or follow him on Instagram at @thomasalexandermitchell and on Twitter @_thmitchell.